Thrifted Sofa

I mentioned the other day that there was a fabulous thrifted treasure being delivered on Wednesday. Well, it’s here!

It’s a new to me vintage sofa with red velvet cushions!!!

And I love it!

It’s replacing the daybed, which was always meant to be a temporary solution until the perfect sofa came along.

There’s only one slight issue, it smells like attic. As a seasoned thrift shopper and vintage aficionado, I have my own steam cleaner, so it’s gotten two thorough steam cleanings. But that hasn’t helped the smell :(

They don’t sell Febreze in Denmark and I actually abhor the scent of it, but desperate situations call for desperate measures, so I bought a bottle of fabric softener, mixed 1 part to 2 parts water, and sprayed it onto the sofa. The attic smell is gone, but now it and my entire place reeks of fabric softener. I cannot stand scented laundry soaps and fabric softeners, so I should’ve known better.

I’ve been misting it with straight white vinegar, which I’m hoping will cut down on the fabric softener scent, plus it’s a disinfectant, and never hurts to disinfect furniture of unknown origins. I need my place to stop smelling like a laundromat!

If I can’t resolve the smell issue, I may need to donate it back, which will break my heart. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them :)

P.S. I still haven’t picked a paint color, but now with the red sofa cushions, I’m leaning towards red more than ever.

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Comments

I’m sorry, I have not ideas about getting rid of odors like that. (a baking soda and water solution, sprayed on?) Anyway, I still would like to see a golden yellow – like your kitty!The daybed is very nice – are you keeping it?

The daybed is going to be moved to my bedroom. I’ve been borrowing a bed all this time and now I can return it! Or if the sofa wins and I have to donate it back, the daybed will once again be my sofa. Hopefully it won’t come to that.

I love the daybed, but it always seemed sort of messy looking for the living room.

Sorry Sage, I don’t have a solution but you should know that regular* fabric softeners (incl. dryer sheets) are horribly toxic. Some of the common ingredients are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, cause CNS disorders, and are dangerous as inhalants and/or via skin contact. You don’t need that for you or Opie… or anyone else if you can’t clean it up.

There is a “recipe” to make your own Febreeze at http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com/2011/07/fake-febreeze.html I haven’t tried it yet, and it DOES call for fabric softener, but if there is a green fabric softener out there and/or an unscented one, maybe you could add your own essential oil scent?

Thanks for the suggestions. The baking soda made a big mess, mostly because Opie wouldn’t stay away, so I’ve placed a bowl of coffee grounds under the sofa and kept up with the steaming and vinegar. Now every time I sit on it, I get an intense coffee craving :)

The fabric softener scent is gone, and the attic scent is back, though not as strong, so I’m going to keep at it for a bit before investing in a bottle of vodka (there is no “cheap” vodka here).